Sayfullah

The Origins of Extremism

Those who first embraced Islam were the people whose hearts were freed from the remains of the vicious pre-Islamic traditions and vile fanaticism. Their souls were open to what the Prophet of Allah called them to believe in. They were people of justice, moderation and faith - indeed the saved ones. But there were others whose interests were to cause chaos and divide the unity of the nation, the kind of people who neither embraced Islam nor rid their souls of their destructive doctrines and poisonous ideas. They hid under the name of Islam and kept spreading evil and dividing the nation. Some of them embraced the ideas of Mazdaism or the principles of paganism while alleging they were Muslims and those they were preaching Islam, bringing the number of deviated groups that preach Islam to more than seventy.

Muslims after the death of the Prophet were on the same standing with regard to all the details of Islam, except of course those who showed unity and concealed hypocrisy. Thereafter came the dissension of the apostates and Musaylama the Liar, then the battles with the dissidents who declared disobedience at the time of Caliph Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be satisfied with him).

As it is quite known, disobedience must not be declared against the ruler unless he shows blatant infidelity as in the Hadith related by Muslim: "He who disapproves of anything done by his ruler must resort to patience with him, as anyone who dissents against his rule, even in the slightest manner, and die on this condition, would be like he died in the pre-Islamic era before embracing Islam"; and the other well-known, authenticated Hadith related by AI Bukhari and Muslim: "You shall not dispute the ruling of your rulers unless you see from them blatant infidelity" and "blatant" here means beyond confusion. Also there was the dissension of the Khawarij who accused Caliph Ali, Mu'aweya, and the arbiters Abu Moussa AI Ash'ary and Amr bin AI Aass of infidelity for the arbitration. They also accused the followers of AI Jamal, Talha, AI Zubair, Ayisha, and all those who consented the arbitration, of infidelity.

They considered infidel any Muslim who commits a sin, whether small or grave, in contradiction with the consensus of the people of good judgment who saw that no Muslim could be accused of infidelity because of committing a sin unless he considers it lawful for him to practice. The fatalist Mu'tazila followed that group claiming that there were two Creators of people's doings.

The nation split, but widespread knowledge was there to teach people that the reasons behind the doings of the rulers was not the war against Islam, but to cast away any dissension and only suppress the wicked. We can see that the extremists remained a minority with no influence against the majority of people with the true belief.

But when knowledge decline, and many scholars abandoned their role, and rulers refrained from dealing with abnormalities under different pretexts and various excuses, the dissension grew stronger and the people split into warring groups and sects, bringing the nation to a disgraceful state of weakness and causing it to fall as a result of the successive blows by tendencies emanating from the extended arm of extremist thoughts. That was the big fall. ==

فـتـاوى السُـنّــة www.alsunna.org/fatawa

http://www.alsunna.org/fatawa.htm

فـتـاوى السُـنّــة

بسم الله الرّحمن الرّحيم، الحمد لله ربِّ العالمين والصَّلاة والسَّلام على أشرف الخلق محمَّد الأمين، وعلى ءاله وصحبه الغر الميامين وبعد، قال الله تبارك وتعالى في محمد التنزيل:

(فَاسْأَلُواْ أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ )

عملاً بالآية الشريفة، لقد ارتأى قسم الأبحاث والدراسات الإسلامية في موقع السنّة (alsunna.org) أن يعمل محتوى هذه الصفحة بصورة أسئلة من القرّاء وأجوبة مدعمة بأدلة ومصادر شرعية لكل فتوىلتبيين أحكام الدين الحنيف.

فتاوى السنّة الشرعية، نلتقي معكم لنتدارس علم الدين الضروري لنفهم كتاب الله عز وجل وسنّة نبيه صلى الله عليه وسلم. فتاوى السنّة.. واحة خضراء، وروضة فيحاء، يتعرف فيها المسلم إلى أمور دينه ويستطلع الأحكام الشرعية التي يحتاج إليها في شئون معيشته، مبينين الحكم الشرعي المستقى من كتاب الله وسنة نبيـه وأقوال الأئمة المجتهدين من المذاهب الأربعة.

فتاوى السنّة - قسم الأبحاث والدّراسات الإسلامية موقع السنّة

فتاوى العقيدة | فتاوى الردّة وأنواع الكفر | فتاوى الفقه- الطهارة والصلاة | فتاوى الحج والعمرة

فتاوى الصيام | فتاوى الزكاة | فتاوى المعاملات والنكاح | فتاوى معاصي اللسان والجوارح http://www.alsunna.org/fatawa.htm

Your God is One

The meaning of one (Wahid ) when attributed to Allah is that there is no partner to Allah in Godhood and that no one deserves to be worshipped other than Allah. Allah said in Surat Al-Baqarah verse 163

{ و إلهكم إله واحد }

which means: Your God is One.

Imam Abu Hanifah said in <Al-Fiqh al-’Akbar>: “Allah is One not in the context of numbers, but rather in the context that there is no partner to Him.”

Another similar attribute of Allah is al-Ahad, the indivisible.

Some religious scholars said: its meaning is like the meaning of al-Wahid. Some others said: Al-’Ahad is the one who is not divisible. That is, Allah is not a body, because the intellect judges that a body accepts divisibility and Allah is not a body. Allah said in Surat Al-Ikhlas verse 1

{ قل هو الله أحد }

which means: Say O’ Muhammad Allah is one (Ahad).

Allah said in dispraising the blasphemers in Surat az-Zukhruf verse 15

{ و جعلوا له من عباده جزءاً } which means: The blasphemers attributed to Allah parts among his creations.

Imam Abu al-Hasan al-’Ash^ariyy said in his book <An-Nawadir>: “Whoever believes that Allah is a body is not knowledgeable about his Lord and is a blasphemer.”

The Hanbali Salafi Proofs in Clearing Allah from Being a Body or Contained in a Place or Direction

Bismillah, praise be to Allah the creator that has no beginning and no end, and does not resemble the creations and does not need any of the creations, we ask Allah to raise the rank of Prophet Muhammad and his kind Aal and companions, Thereafter

Know that all the Muslims of Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jama^ah unite on the same creed, believing in the oneness of Allah, and clearing Allah from resembling the creations or needing any of his creations. And based on that, the belief of Ahlus-Sunnah was clearing Allah from being in a place or having a body or form, Subhanahu wa Ta^ala.

Although Ash^aris (Such as Nawawiy, Ibn Hajar, Baqillaniy, Qurtubiy) were well known to have refuted the sects such as the Karamiah, Mu^tazilah, Jahmiyah, and Mushabbihah (Those who liken Allah to his creations), let it be clear that the creed of the Asharis is the creed of the Salaf and Khalaf scholars. Because Ash^aris deduced and summarized the creed of the Prophet and the companions with the textual and mental proofs.

Islam and the mind do not accept the claim that Allah is a body or has a place or position or direction. Because the one that has a body, or is in a place, or in a direction, is created, and Allah is the creator of the places, bodies and directions, and He does not need nor resemble any of his creations in anyway. So all the Sifat (attributes) of Allah which are numerous, are confirmed to Allah Subhanahu without resembling them to the creations in any way.

And based on that, the scholars reported that the Imams of the Four Schools of Ahlus-Sunnah have agreed to declare the one who attributes to Allah the body as a kafir.

- Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal said: "Whoever says that Allah is a body unlike the bodies have blasphemed (committed kufur)". This is because Allah is not a body, and is not like the creations in anyway.

- Also the great Mufassir Ibn al-Jawziy al-Hanbaliy said in his book "Daf^ Shubah at-Tashbih" page 58: "The obligation upon us is to believe that the self of Allah ta^ala is not contained in a place, and He is not attributed with change nor movement".

- And Ibn al-Jawziy also said: "Some people lied when they heard about the Sifat (attributes of Allah) and interpreted them according to the physical meanings, such as those who claimed that Allah literally descends from the sky and moves from one place to another. This is an ill understanding, because the one who moves would be from a place to a place, and that necessitates that the place is bigger than him and that requires movement, and all of that is impossible to be attributed to Allah the Exalted".

As known, Imam Ibn al-Jawziy is the great interpreter of al-Qur'an, and one of the great heads of the Hanbalis. In his book "Daf^ Shubah at-Tashbih" he refuted the Mushabbiha and Mujassimah that attributed themselves falsely to the Hanbali School. He also cleared Imam Ahmad and the Salaf from the beliefs of Tajsim (attributing a body to Allah) and Tashbih (likening Allah to his creations), and cleared Allah from the place, space, size, shape, limit, body, sitting, standing, settling, and other attributes of the creations.

- Ibn Hajar al-Haitamiy also confirmed in his book "al-Fatawa al-Hadithiyah" page 144 that Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal clears Allah from being a body, or having a limit, size, shape, place or direction. He said: "The creed of the Imam of Alsunna Ahmad Bin Hanbal (Radiallahu ^Anhu) complies with the creed of Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jama^ah in exceptionally clearing Allah completely from what the ungrateful wrongdoers did by attributing to Allah non befitting attributes such the direction and body and other attributes of imperfection, in fact any attribute that does not have complete perfection. And what became popular between the ignorant people who falsely claim to follow this great Imam (Ahmad bin Hanbal) al-Mujtahid, that he attributed the direction to Allah or such, this is a lie and a false accusation to him".

وقال الشيخ شهاب الدين أحمد بن محمد المعروف بابن حجر الهيتمي الأشعري (974 )ها ما نصه (الفتاوى الحديثية (ص/ 144): "عقيدة إمام السُّنة أحمد بن حنبل رضي الله عنه موافقة لعقيدة أهل السنة والجماعة من المبالغة التامّة في تنزيه الله تعالى عما يقول الظالمون والجاحدون علوّا كبيرا من الجهة والجسمية وغيرهما من سائر سمات النقص، بل وعن كل وصف ليس فيه كمال مطلق، وما اشتهر بين جهلة المنسوبين إلى هذا الإمام الأعظم المجتهد من أنه قائل بشىء من الجهة أو نحوها فكذب وبهتان وافتراء عليه"ا.هـ

But the Mushabbihah (such as the Wahhabis or so-called Salafis) twist and fabricate lies and accuse the Salaf with beliefs that no Muslim says or accepts, such as the place or bodily parts to Allah. The creed of Salaf complies with the creed of Asharis.

- Imam al-Baqillaniy (one of the great Asharis) said in his book al-'Insaf page 65: "And we do not say that the ^arsh (throne) is a place of settlement or rest for Allah, because Allah existed and there was no place, and when He created the place, He did not change". He also said: "Allah is clear from being in directions, or resembling the creations, and also He is not attributed with transformation or movement, nor with standing or sitting, because such attributes are of the creations, and Allah (the creator) is clear from that".

قال القاضي أبو بكر محمد الباقلاني المالكي الأشعري (403) ما نصه: "ولا نقول إن العرش له- أي الله- قرار ولا مكان، لأن الله تعالى كان ولا مكان، فلما خلق المكان لم يتغير عما كان" اهـ. وقال أيضا ما نصه: "ويجب أن يعلم أن كل ما يدل على الحدوث أو على سمة النقص فالرب تعالى يتقدس عنه، فمن ذلك: أنه تعالى متقدس عن الاختصاص بالجهات، والاتصاف بصفات المحدثات، وكذلك لا يوصف بالتحول والانتقال، ولا القيام ولا القعود، ولأن هذه الصفات تدل على الحدوث، والله تعالى يتقدس عن ذلك" اهـ.

That's the creed of al-Baqillaniy who reported the creed of the Salaf and Khalaf, which is the creed of the Prophet and the companions.

• When al-Bulqiniy died, Abul Fadl at-Tamimi came to his funeral with bare feet, along with his brothers and friends and ordered to call out during his Janazah: "This is the Imam of Alsunna and the Religion, He is the Imam of the Muslims, He is the one that used to defend the Shari^a and refute those who oppose, He is the one who compiled seventy thousand letters refuting the atheists". And he remained in his mourning ^azza' for three days, and he used to visit his grave every Saturday".

- Al-Hafidh Ibn ^asakr reported from ad-Damghaniy that Imam Abul Hassan at-Tamimi al-Hanbaliy said to his companions "Stick with this man (al-Baqillaniy), for he is indispensable".

- Imam al-Hafidh al-^Iraqiy, and Imam al-Qurafiy, and Ibn Hajar al-Haitamiy, and Mulla ^Ali al-Qari, and Muhammad Zahid al-Kawthariy and others reported that the Imams of the Four Schools whom are the guide of the Ummah (Imam ash-Shafi^iy, Malik, Ahmad and Abu Hanfiah Radiallahu ^anhum) all declared those who attribute to Allah the direction or the body with kufur".

نقل الإمام الحافظ العراقي والإمام القرافي والشيخ ابن حجر الهيتمي وملا علي القاري ومحمد زاهد الكوثري وغيرهم عن الأئمة الأربعة هداة الأمة الشافعي ومالك وأحمد وأبي حنيفة رضي الله عنهم القول بتكفير القائلين بالجهة والتجسيم ".

This is the belief of all the Muslims. This is the belief of the Salaf, which is the belief of the Ash^aris despite the lies of the liars like the Mushabbihah. So in reality the Salaf were Ash^aries, and below is the proof that the Mushabbihah today such as the Wahhabis or falsely called salafis oppose the beliefs of the true Salaf.

- Imam Ahmad Ibn Salamah, Abu Ja^far at­Tahawiyy, who was born in the year 237 after Hijrah, and was one of the Heads of Great Salaf wrote a book called Al-^Aqidah at­Tahawiyyah. He mentioned that the content of his book is an elucidation of the creed of Ahlus­-Sunnah wal Jama^ah, which is the creed of Imam Abu Hanifah, who died in the year 150 after al­Hijrah, and his two companions, Imam Abu Yusuf al-Qadi and Imam Muhammad Ibn al­Hasan ash-Shaybaniyy and others.

At-Tahawiy said in his book at-Tahawiyah: "Allah is supremely clear of all boundaries, extremes, sides, organs and instruments. The six directions do NOT contain Him--these are attributed to all created things."

Such is the saying of Imam Abu Ja^far who is among the heads of as-Salaf. He explicitly stated that Allah is clear of being contained by the six directions, that is he is confirming that Allah exists without a place. The six directions are above, below, in front of, behind, right, and left. So this is clear evidence that the Salaf cleared Allah from organs, bodily parts, place, direction, limits and al-Kayf (manners of beings).

- Imam at-Tahawiy also said: "And whoever attributes to Allah any of the manners of beings is considered a blasphemer". This is the creed of the true Salafis and not the wahhabis.

- In his book, Ihya'u ^Ulum ad-Din, Imam al-Ghazaliyy said:

"... places do not contain Allah, nor do the directions, earth, or heavens. He is attributed with an "istiwa'" over al-^arsh as He said in the Qur'an--with the meaning that He willed--and not as what people may delude. It is an istiwa' which is clear of touching, resting, holding, moving and containment. Al-^arsh does not carry Him, but rather al-^arsh and those that carry al-^arsh are all carried by Allah with His Power and are subjugated to Him. He is above al-^arsh and above the heavens and above everything--in status-- an aboveness that does not give Him proximity to al-^arsh or the heavens as it does not give Him farness from earth. He is higher in status than everything: higher in status than al-^arsh and the heavens, as He is higher in status than earth and the rest of the creation."

- Imam al-Ghazaliyy said: " Allah, the Exalted, existed eternally and there was no place. He is not a body, jawhar (atom), or property, and He is not on a place or in a place."

- Shaykh ^Abdul-Ghaniyy an-Nabulsiyy said:

"He who believes that Allah filled the heavens and earth or that He is a body sitting above al-^arsh, is a kafir."

- Ibn Hajar al-^Asqalaniy (who is also an Ash^ari hafidh) said in his explanation of Sahih al-Bukhary (Fath al-Bari): "Attributing aboveness (Fawqiyah) to Allah is a matter of status, and the impossibility lies in it being physical." This means Allah exists without a place and is clear from being in a direction or place. And the "Fawqiyah" or aboveness when attributed to Allah it refers to abovness of status and greatness of Allah, the exalted. He is the creator Subhanahu Wa Ta^ala that does not need any of the creations in any way.

This is the creed of Ahlus-Sunnah, the Salaf, Khalaf, Ash^aris and Maturidis, which is the creed of the majority of the Muslim nation.

Allah exists without being in a place or a direction, and He knows best.

Ibn Taymiah, the source of wahabism's ill beliefs

Bismillah,

I ask Allah to guide us and you to the correct path.

Beware of a man named: Ahmad Ibn Taymiah, who died 700 years ago.

Ibn taymiah has many deviations from Islam. Imam al-Mujtahid as-Subkiy who lived during the time of Ibn Taymiah, reported that Ibn Taimiyah opposed unanimous agreement of the scholars of Islam in over 60 Islamic Issues. And he along with the scholars during his time declared him as a Kafir for many deviant beliefs and sayings that he never repented from.

Among the abhorrent and false beliefs of Ibn Taymiah: -He claims that Allah is a body. -He claims that Allah sits on the throne and seats Prophet Muhammad beside him (Majmoo^ Fatawa). -He Claims that Allah if willed, can sit on the back of a mosquito.

• No doubt Allah is able to do anything he wills, but such a saying attributes to Allah the sitting, the body and form. And that is kufur. The will of Allah is NOT contingent to the intellectual impossibilities.

-He claims that it's a sin to intend to travel to visit the grave of Prophet Muhammad. -He claims it's shirk to make Tawassul by Prophet Muhammad. -He claims that hellfire ends and punishment on kuffar ends. -He claims that this world is eternal by kind with Allah!! He claims the kind of the world does not have a beginning!!.

And He has many false beliefs that the scholars of his time mentioned and authored against him, in which he had deviated from the path of Ahlus-Sunnah wal Jama^ah. That's why wahabies use him as source for their beliefs, and that's why they are mislead and misguidede from Ahlus-Sunnah.

Ibn Taymiah was imprisoned by the order of 4 Muslim Judges that were from the 4 famous schools (Madhahib): Shafi^i, Maliki, Hanbali, and hanafi schools.

He war imprisoned 4 times, and died in the prison due to his false and blasphemous beliefs.

Hence, Ibn Taymiah at the end deviated from Ahlus-Sunnah Wal Jama^ah and opposed Ijma^, unanimous agreement of the Muslims to the extent of belying the Quran and alsunna of the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam.

Be warned of Ibn Taymiah and his followers, and warn others from his teachings, sayings and widespread false books.

In the quote you are seeing, page 100 of his book talbees al-Jahmiah ibn taymiah says: “the imams never talked about that (attributing Jism – body to Allah) neither did they attribute Allah with it NOR did they deny it”.

Ibn Taimiah claims that salaf and scholars never denied that attribute (Body – Jism) to Allah!! AND THEN in other books he literally attributes the body to Allah and the organs. As in one of his books he said “Allah is as big as the throne” and in another says Allah has mouth and other ugly sayings Wal-^iathu Billah.

That shows you that he He’s a contradictive liar, and not a scholar. That’s why so many scholars authored against him and his sayings. Because the scholars of Islam of Salaf not only denied that attributes or its likes, rather declared as a kafir the one who attributes the body or organs to Allah.

The great true Salafi, Imam Ja^far as-Sadiq said: "He who claims that Allah is in something or on something or from something, commits ash-shirk. Because if He was in something, He would be contained, and if He was on something, He would be carried, and if He was from something, He would be a creature."

Imam Ahmad Ibn Salamah, Abu Ja^far at-Tahawiyy, who was born in the year 237 after Hijrah, and was one of the Heads of Great Salaf said in his book: "Allah is supremely clear of all boundaries, extremes, sides, organs and instruments. The six directions do not contain Him--these are attributed to all created things." Such is the saying of Imam Abu Ja^far who is among the heads of as-Salaf. He explicitly stated that Allah is clear of being contained by the six directions. The six directions are above, below, in front of, behind, right, and left.

Allah knows best. http://www.alsunna.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=297

Allah is the Creator of This World

Allah, ta^ala, said in the Qur’an:

أَفِي اللّهِ شَكٌّ Afi-llahi shakk.

Ayah 10 of Surah Ibrahim means: {There is no doubt about the existence of Allah.}

The first obligation on the mukallaf person is to know about Allah, ta^ala. Allah is the Creator of all the existent things and is the One Who manages all the creation. If, with our sound mind, we carefully think about all the creations and ponder about their existence, we must know that they have a Creator Who created them.

The mental proof that Allah exists:

With the sound mind, we know irrefutably that every writing has to have a writer, the act of hitting has to have a hitter, and that a building has to have a builder. Therefore, it follows that this universe with all the creations in it has to have a creator Who is Alive, attributed with Will, Knowledge, and Power, and this is Allah. He is clear of all imperfections. He is the One Who does not resemble any of His creations, and nothing resembles Him. The sound mind does not accept the existence of an action without someone who carried it out.

It is not conceivable for nature to be the Creator, because nature has no will. So, how would nature create? It is also not permissible for something to create itself. Finally, something cannot create something that resembles it.

For example, the child is born small; he does not talk or walk. Then he develops. He starts gradually and slowly to talk and walk. Then he matures and becomes a young man, then middle-aged, then old, after which he dies. Who changed him and transformed him from one state to another? Allah is the One Who created and changed him, and willed for him to die.

A story of a man who denied the existence of Allah:

It is related that a man who denied the existence of the Creator came once to one of the caliphs and told him: "The scholars of your time say that there is a creator for this universe, and I am prepared to prove to them that this universe has no creator."

The caliph sent for one of the top scholars telling him of the man's claim and ordering him to come. The scholar was purposely late; then he came. The caliph welcomed him and seated him in the center of the session. Present at this meeting were many scholars and important people. So the man said: "Why were you late in your arrival?" The scholar said: "What if I tell you that a very strange matter occurred to me, and because of it I was late? My house is behind the river of Dijlah (Tigris). I came to cross the river, but I did not find anything other than an old boat with broken planks. When my gaze fell onto it, the planks moved, came together, and reassembled so that the boat became seaworthy. All this happened without the work of a carpenter or a worker. I sat in it, crossed the river, and came to this place.”

The man said: "O people, listen to what your scholar says. Have you heard anything more absurd than this? How can a boat exist without a carpenter to build it? This is an explicit lie."

The scholar said: "O blasphemer, if the mind does not accept the existence of a boat without a builder or carpenter, then how do you say that this entire universe exists without a creator?" The man became silent. He was refuted. The caliph punished him because of his bad beliefs.

Exposing Fake Sufi Nazim al-Qubrusi

The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, warned us against those who deviate from him in ahadith related by al-Bukhariyy and Muslim:

"أناس من جلدتنا، يتكلمون بألسنتنا، تعرف منهم وتنكر، دعاة على أبواب جهنم من أطاعهم قذفوه فيها".

which means: <<There are people whose skin is the same color as ours, who speak the same language as we speak, they mix correct matters which you know with bad matters which you denounce [they mix the correct statements with the deviated ones]. They stand by the gates of Hellfire inviting others to enter. If one listens to them, they push him in.>> It is of utmost importance for the Muslim to look thoroughly at the person from whom he acquires knowledge. In the introduction of his book, As-Sahih, Imam Muslim related the saying of the highly esteemed follower of the companions, Muhammad Ibn Sirin:

إن هذا العلم دين فانظروا عمّن تأخذون دينكم

which means: "This knowledge contains the rules of the Religion, so look thoroughly into the person from whom you acquire the knowledge of your Religion." In light of this important matter, we seek to expose those who deviate from the path of the Prophet.

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, the One Who protected the Religion by scholars who implement their knowledge--who are True Sufis--humble and knowledgeable about Allah. May Allah raise the rank of Prophet Muhammad, his kind Al and Companions, and those who genuinely follow them. May Allah protect the nation of Prophet Muhammad from what he fears for them. Thereafter;

CHAPTER 1: NAZIM AL-QUBRUSI'S FIRST STATEMENT:

Among his claims of this man who claims to be following the Sufi and Naqshabandi Order: "Follow your sheikh and do not object to him--even when he contradicts the Rules of the Religion." (!)

The first chapter shall serve to expose the methodology Of Sheikh al-Qubrusi based on his saying: "One is not entitled to refute or object to any of the matters of his sheikh even if he contradicts the pure rules of the Religion."

So apparent in the works of Sheikh al-Qubrusi is his methodology based on total acceptance of all the matters of one's sheikh--whether this sheikh is complying with the rules of the Religion or contradicting them.

Firstly: I found Sheikh al-Qubrusi does not in the least value the Knowledge of the Religion nor does he see any merit in acquiring it. Sheikh Nazim says on pages 56-57 in his book titled Mercy Oceans' Endless Horizons:

This Grandshaykh, Abdul Wahhab ash-Shaarani, once said: "When the Last Day is announced, Allah Almighty will call one religious scholar forward and ask him: 'Are you a knowledgeable religious man?' He will answer: 'As You know, Oh my Lord.' 'By virtue of what knowledge are you claiming to be a learned person--what did you know in your life?' 'Oh my Lord, I knew all of the Qur'an by heart.' 'That is your knowledge?' 'Yes.' 'No, you are mistaken, for the Qur'an is My Knowledge, not yours. So now, tell me, what else did you know?' 'I knew thousands of the Holy Traditions by heart.' 'That is My Prophet's knowledge, not yours.' 'Well, I knew so many points of Divine Law and jurisprudential verdicts.' 'That is the knowledge of the Imams of those Schools of Law, not yours.' 'I knew many tales from the lives of the great Sufis.' 'That is also not your knowledge, but theirs. When you quoted Abu Yazid or Salman or Hasan al-Basri or Imam Ghazzali, it was their knowledge, not yours, of which you spoke. But what about you, does any knowledge belong to you?"

"Thus does Allah Almighty strip him bare so he may see that, actually, he had gained no knowledge whatsoever during the course of his life."

Definitely, the one who accepts such saying will be completely unmotivated to acquire any religious knowledge. Consequently he will not endeavor to memorize the Qur'an, learn the hadith, or revert back to one of the sayings of the reputable scholars--since all of that, according to this false claim, is worthless in the Hereafter. If the case is as Sheikh al-Qubrusi portrays, then what is the beneficial knowledge? If we do not study the meanings of the Qur'an and the hadith and what is related to them among the genuine sciences to learn about our Religion, then what are we going to study? If we do not follow the madhhabs of Imam ash-Shafi^iyy, Imam Malik, Imam AbuHanifah, or Imam Ahmad, then who shall we follow?

Moreover, one questions the meaning of the saying he attributed to Allah: "This is My Knowledge and not yours"--since every knowledge one acquires is known to Allah. According to his statement, no matter how hard one endeavors, one would not acquire any knowledge. The mindful person should ask Sheikh Nazim, "Is it possible one learns a knowledge which Allah does not know?" Answering: "Yes; it is possible one would learn a knowledge Allah does not know," is clear blasphemy. On the other hand, answering "No," is negating Sheikh Nazim's own words and opposes his own saying.

Then, the mindful person would also inquire: "What is the secret behind demotivating one to acquire the religious knowledge?" Usually, the one who encourages others to remain ignorant is either an ignorant person himself trying to hide his own ignorance, or a person seeking to prepare an atmosphere of prevailing ignorance so he can say whatever he wants without anyone catching his flaws and inconsistencies.

How does Sheikh Nazim explain the saying of Allah:(Al-Isra', 9) which means: [This Qur'an guides to what is best.]? How does he explain the saying of the Prophet, related by al-Bukhariyy:

which means: <<The best among you are those who learn the Qur'an and teach it to others.>>? How does Sheikh Nazim deal with the saying of the Prophet:

which means: <<Maintain studying the Qur'an for, by the One who controls the soul of Muhammad [Allah], one can lose it easier than losing a loose camel.>>?

Moreover, why did the Companions endeavor to memorize the Qur'an? Some memorized it all. Some memorized half of it. Some less than that, and others more than that. Likewise is the case of the followers of the Companions and their followers. Why does the entire Muslim nation hold the consensus regarding the merit of memorizing the Qur'an and reciting it? Does the mindful person accept that the guidance of the Prophet and his Companions is invalid? Certainly not!

As a case in point, we do see the followers of Sheikh Nazim stay with him for years to learn and memorize his sayings. Sheikh Nazim sees this as a merit for them, while on the other hand, he sees spending their time learning the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of the Prophet, and the sayings of the Imams of the Religion as a waste of their time and ignorance on their part. How can that be acceptable when considering the saying of al-Junayd al-Baghdadiyy, who is the head of the Sufis? Al-Junayd al-Baghdadiyy said:

His saying means: "I only accept those special matters which occur to me if they conform to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet." How would the one who does not study the Book of Allah know its meanings? How would the one who does not study the Sunnah of the Prophet know its meanings?

Secondly: Sheikh Nazim encourages his followers not to refer back to the scholars for answers to their questions--rather to look down on them. He says in his book, Mercy Oceans, page 117:

"So many Alims are denying this or that hadith while Awliya say that those hadiths are all right. Thus, we take hadiths from those people who have the light of Iman in their hearts showing them the truth."

As he explicitly indicated in his book more than once, what he means by "those people who have the light of Imam in their hearts showing them the truth" are himself and those who are like him--not the People of Knowledge or the Scholars of Hadith.

A few lines later in the same book someone asked him, "So, until we receive that higher vision that the Awliya have, we must accept all hadiths as true?" Sheikh Nazim answered him, "Yes." On that same page, he said:

"Also, if any book has hadiths from the Prophet (peace be upon him), we accept it out of respect for the Prophet. If it is an incorrect hadith, there is no responsibility for us if we accept it. This is a high adab, or good manners. If someone says, 'This is a hadith,' we believe it out of respect to our Prophet (peace be upon him) we must believe it."

I say: These statements of Sheikh Nazim are extremely dangerous because they claim we have to believe anyone who attributes a hadith to the Prophet. Is this not an avenue for every swindler and enemy of Islam to plant whatever he wants, in an attempt to pervert our Religion without anyone detecting him? Is this not a vehicle for anyone who desires to say whatever he wants without having sound criteria to back his statements--besides the claimed "inspiration and illumination"--something anyone can claim for himself?

Does being polite with the Prophet and his hadiths mean to mix the authentic hadith with the weak one, or the straight hadith with the twisted one? Is it not the case that politeness with the Prophet and his hadiths entails being concerned about anyone who is fabricating a hadith and attributing it to the honorable person of the Prophet? Does not being polite with the Prophet and his hadith rather entail protecting the hadiths of the Prophet from lies, perversion, and fabrications of the swindlers and the liars? I say, "Yes!" Had politeness with the Prophet been what Sheikh Nazim mentioned in his book, Mercy Oceans, then why did the Prophet say:

which means: <<The one who narrates a hadith about me held as a fabricated hadith, then he is among the liars.>> This is a mutawatir hadith narrated by Imam Muslim. Is it not clear that al-Qubrusi wants us to follow the liars whom the Prophet warned us against? If politeness with the Prophet had been what al-Qubrusi mentioned in his book, then why did the scholars of hadith put forth so much effort and endeavor to establish the rules of the Science of Hadith. Why did they author books to discriminate between the authentic hadiths and the fabricated ones? Is it acceptable that the waliyy of Allah, Imam al-Bukhariyy and his student Imam Muslim, as well as at-Tirmidhiyy, Abu Dawud, an-Nasa'iyy, Ibn Majah, al-Hakim, Ibnu Hibban, al-Bayhaqiyy, Ibnus-Salah, Ibn Hajar al-^Asqalaniyy, as-Suyutiyy, az-Zabidiyy, and others among the scholars of this nation are all astray for setting precise conditions for the acceptance and implementation of a hadith? This is the conclusion of the claim of Sheikh al-Qubrusiyy. Moreover, do we take by al-Qubrusi's claim and conclude that Imam al-Bukhariyy and Imam Muslim troubled themselves for no reason or benefit when they authored their books of As-Sahih, or when they authored about the credibility and non-credibility of narrators, or when they authored about accepting certain hadiths and rejecting others? Would even one Muslim accept attributing to the aforementioned scholars and hafidhs of hadith "the lack of politeness" with the Prophet as was defined in al-Qubrusi's book? We do not think that Sheikh al-Qubrusi claims to be more knowledgeable, pious, or God-fearing than those scholars.

Sheikh al-Qubrusi said this very strange statement (in dispraising the scholars and the acquiring of the knowledge of the Religion) which definitely no one among the prominent and reputable Sufis such as al-Junayd, al-Baghdadiyy, ^Amr Ibn ^Uthman al-Makkiyy, Abu ^Uthman al-Maghribiyy, ar-Rifa^iyy, al-Jilaniyy, Shah Naqshaband, ash-Shadhiliyy, or others ever said before. Rather, it was the Isma^iliyy faction as well as other groups deviant to Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jama^ah who made similar statements. However, the one who identifies himself with them and follows them in their falsehood has only himself to blame on the Day of Judgment.

Why did Sheikh al-Qubrusi lower the status of the scholars? Allah, the Exalted, said: (Fatir, 28) which means: [It is the scholars who are the most God-fearing.] Allah said: (Az-Zumar, 9) which means: [Those who are learned are not equal to those who are not learned.] As related by at-Tirmidhiyy, the Messenger of Allah said:

which means: <<The merit of the scholar over that of the true worshipper is similar in vastness to my merit over that of the least among you.>> As related by Abu Dawud, the Messenger of Allah said: which means: <<The scholars in knowledge are the heirs of the prophets.>>

Is it not the case that the righteous, God-fearing ones are those who have learned the knowledge Allah made obligatory upon them and have implemented it? If the implementing scholars are not among the waliyys, then who are the waliyys according to al-Qubrusi? Know for sure, if there is a waliyy who is not a scholar, at the least he must have completed learning the Personal Obligatory Knowledge of the Essentials of Belief and the Rules of Jurisprudence.

In his book, "Al-Burhanal-Mu'ayyad," our great shaykh, Imam ar-Rifa^iyy, shed light on this point when he said:

His saying means: "Say, 'Ash-Shafi^iyy said'; 'Malik said'; 'Ahmad said'; 'AbuHanifah said.' Validate your essential dealings through the basic knowledge, then direct your attention to the extra sayings. To say, 'Al-Harith said' and 'Abu Yazid said' does not add to or decrease your merit. Rather, saying 'Ash-Shafi^iyy said' and 'Malik said' [to implement that] is the most viable among the avenues and the closest route. The Shaykhs of the Tariqah and the Knights of Truth tell you, 'Hold on tightly to the scholars.' I do not tell you, 'Become philosophers.' Rather, I tell you, 'Learn the Knowledge of the Religion.' The one whom Allah willed for him a lot of goodness, Allah makes him knowledgeable in the Religion."

Imam ar-Rifa^iyy, may Allah raise his rank, said in the same book:

which means: "The route of the Sufis leads to the same ending as the route of the scholars, and the route of the scholars leads to the same ending as that of the Sufis. The hardships the scholars encounter during their endeavors are the same hardships the Sufis face on their route. The Tariqah (Sufi order) is the same as the rules of the Religion and the rules of the Religion are the same as the Tariqah. The difference between them is that of terminology--however their content, meaning, and result is the same. I only see the Sufi as misguided if he denies the route of the scholar; and the scholar as deprived of much goodness if he denies the route of the Sufi."

These words of Imam ar-Rifa^iyy judge the words that appeared in the book of al-Qubrusi as deviant and contrary to the methodology of the knowledgeable people; and words of one who is misguided. By consensus, Imam Ahmad ar-Rifa^iyy is known as among the greater knowledgeable Sufis--even Nazim Qubrusi, in his book, Mercy Oceans, says that about him. Imam ar-Rifa^iyy, may Allah raise his rank, memorized the Qur'an. He memorized the hadiths with their chains of narrators. He knew and taught the Shafi^iyy jurisprudence. He urged his students to do the same--which is contrary to the methodology mentioned in the book, Mercy Oceans.

Thirdly: Sheikh Nazim plants the deviant belief among his followers that the ignorant person is not accountable. He says on page 57 in his book on the teachings of his sheikh, ad-Daghistani: "We are responsible as our knowledge grows. There is no responsibility for ignorant people." Such teaching undoubtedly encourages his followers to refrain from acquiring the knowledge--in order to escape accountability--as per their claim. Hence, they remain ignorant, unable to discriminate between the lawful and the unlawful, submitting to the claims of just anyone, to turn with him which ever way the wind blows.

Moreover, al-Qubrusi's words include belying the Qur'an, the Messenger of Allah, and the Imams of Guidance. In Surat al-Hashr, Verse 7, Allah, the Exalted, said: (al-Hashr, 7) which means: [Accept what the Prophet said and refrain from what he prohibited you from doing.] So, Allah ordered us to follow the Prophet in what he ordered and forbade. Yet, the words of al-Qubrusi lead one to believe it is permissible to stay ignorant, and should one neglect doing what the Prophet ordered or commit what he forbade, it is of no consequence--for one will not be accountable in the Hereafter because he was ignorant!!! Certainly such a claim is invalid!!! Had this been the case, then ignorance would have been better than knowledge, because--according to them--ignorance guarantees one safety in the Hereafter, whereas knowledge does not!

Discrediting such a statement is easy, since it belies the saying of Allah: (Az-Zumar, 9) which means: [Those who are knowledgeable are not equal to those who do not know.] It also belies the hadith narrated by Abu Dawud:

which means: <<The judge who judged out of ignorance shall be in Hellfire.>> Al-Qubrusi's claim also belies the hadith narrated by Ibn Majah regarding the injured person who was ill-advised to perform the purificatory ghusl and died as a result. The Prophet made a supplication against those who gave that man this wrong advice. He said:

which means : <<They have killed him, may Allah destroy them. They should have asked when they did not know. The cure of being ignorant of something is to ask about it.>>

At-Tabaraniyy narrated the hadith of the Prophet:

This hadith means: <<O people, learn; for knowledge is acquired by learning, and the science of jurisprudence is acquired by learning. The one whom Allah willed for him a lot of goodness, Allah makes him knowledgeable in the Religion.>>

Moreover, no one among the shaykhs of the Tariqahs said the Tariqah alone suffices. The words of Sheikh Qubrusi belie the consensus of the entire nation that it is a personal obligation on every Muslim to acquire a certain amount of the Religious Knowledge, and he who neglects acquiring it is sinful.

Our master, Imam Ahmad ar-Rifa^iyy, said in his book, Al-Burhan, "Allah did not make any ignorant person a waliyy (highly righteous Muslim). ...The highly righteous one is not ignorant of the rules of his Religion--neither the summarized knowledge (knowing about what Allah ordered and forbade, i.e., the Personal Obligatory Knowledge), nor the more complete knowledge--which is the Knowledge of Interpretation, the Knowledge of Hadith, the Knowledge of Fiqh, etc..."

Before him, Imam ash-Shafi^iyy, who is by consensus the Waliyy of Allah, said: "Seeking the knowledge is better than the supererogatory prayer." Imam an-Nawawiyy narrated these words from ash-Shafi^iyyin the beginning of his book, "Al-Majmu^." It is sufficient here to mention the words of the head of the Sufis, al-Junayd, to whom al-Qubrusi attributes his chain of Sufism. As narrated by al-Khatib al-Baghdadiyy, al-Junayd said:

"The one who does not memorize the Qur'an or learn the hadith is not followed in this knowledge, because our knowledge is bound by the book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet." The meaning of al-Junayd's saying is explicit and clear: "The one who does not acquire the Knowledge of the Religion based on the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet is not fit to be a shaykh of a Tariqah-- who teaches, guides, and raises others.

Let us point out here that if the followers of Sheikh al-Qubrusi neglect acquiring the knowledge, they will never acquire the scale needed to properly weigh the matters of the Religion. Consequently, they become an easy morsel for the devilish humans who will use them for worldly gains and fame--while deluding them that they have acquired a high status, when in reality they sink them to the lowest status a human being would reach.

Fourthly: Sheikh al-Qubrusi filled his book with many untrue and unfounded sayings. He said, "There is a soul to the soul!" He even said, "There is a soul to the soul of the soul!!" He said, "Allah created the heavens and earth in seven days" (i.e., instead of six)!!! Then he topped such lies with deviant rulings which revoke the laws of the Religion and demolish it. Some examples include: canceling the obligation of prayers; devaluating the issue of fasting; urging to consume what is unlawful; extensive talk about marriage while perverting its rules and mixing them with fictitious stories--such as telling the people, "When the man first consummates the marriage with his wife, all their sins would be forgiven;" and other bizarre fabrications which render the one who believes them misguided and which abolish even the facade of worship.

Following this route is very dangerous. He who follows such a route denies the rules brought by Prophet Muhammad and becomes one who follows the desires of his self, concerned about satisfying his stomach and his genitals. He becomes one who does not avoid the unlawful; one who does not protect against the doubtful matters; one who does not fear the punishment in the Hereafter--especially since Sheikh al-Qubrusi tells him, "Allah forgives His slaves for all of their sins every night." He also tells them, "The devil misguides them during the day, and Allah forgives them for it at night"!!

I say: If the follower reaches this level of negligence--not memorizing the Qur'an and the Sunnah, not paying attention to ask the scholars or seek their fatwas, believing prayers and fasting have no significance, and believing whatever sins a person commits, Allah forgives him for them at night--then such a person becomes an atheist who turned his back on the Religion of the Messenger of Allah. So, how would the case be if such a person, over and above that, believes understanding the religion comes only through his sheikh, Nazim Qubrusi; that the secrets (according to them) of the religion are attained only through Sheikh Nazim; that Sheikh Nazim is the head of the waliyys and the leader of the God-fearing ones; that whatever he says is the Religion and whatever he utters is the truth; that it is not permissible to object to him; that his deeds are not to be weighed by the scales of the Religion--rather he is above that; that anyone who dares to weigh the deeds of Sheikh Nazim by the scale of the Religion is short-sighted, deprived of goodness, failed the test, and is far from the special visions?? According to such a person, Sheikh Nazim is not to be objected to, and he is correct--even if he defies the orders of Allah and the Messenger of Allah. To such a person, the Religion is represented by the sayings and doings of his sheikh--not what the Prophet conveyed from Allah and ordered to implement.

On page 108 in his book, Mercy Oceans, Nazim Qubrusi says,

"Our Grandshaykh says that in our time no one from among the Awliya has been given permission to speak about secret knowledge except him. He may speak Quranic secrets."

Nazim is his vicegerent, translator, and the conveyer of his thoughts. This means Nazim is the only one who carries the true meanings of the Religion. It means the seeker of knowledge has no alternative but to go through him--as repeatedly declared by Sheikh Nazim on different occasions and in different books.

To that I say: This is totally rejected! It is precisely the saying of the Batiniyyah, who claim that the Religion is what their imam says, and can only be known through him. How can Sheikh Qubrusi claim the existence of a concealed knowledge in the Religion when the Prophet conveyed from Allah all what was revealed to him. In Surat al-Ma'idah, Verse 67, Allah said:

which means: [O Messenger of Allah, convey what was revealed to you from your Lord. If you do not then you have failed to convey.]

In his book, "Al-Fasl Fil-Milal-Wannihal," Ibn Hazm explicitly stated the judgment of blasphemy for he who claims the Prophet conveyed only the literal rules of the Religion, and that the rules have truly another concealed context. How could such a claim be other than blasphemy when Allah said: (Al-Ma'idah, 3) which means: [Today I have completed your Religion for you and fulfilled My Endowment on you.]

On page 45 in his book, Mercy Oceans' Pink Pearls, Nazim Qubrusi recounts a statement oftenly told to him by his shaykh: "Oh Nazim Efendi, don't put my words and actions in a scale and weigh them. Don't say, 'Why is that Sheikh saying such-and-such or doing so-and-so.'" A few lines later, Nazim Qubrusi quotes his Grandshaykh as saying to him, "In order to follow us you must follow without judging or objecting." In that regard he classified himself as al-Khadir, peace be upon him, and ranked himself in the same rank as one of the prophets of Allah! He even said in the same book, page 47, "As far as the actions of your Sheikh are concerned, don't try to weigh and evaluate them with your mind, even if you be the Prophet Moses!"

I say: These words are not the words of a waliyy among the waliyys of Allah. Rather, these are the exact words of the Batiniyyah faction, whom our Master, Ahmad ar-Rifa^iyy and others among the great Sufis warned against. The fact is, it is an obligation on the Muslims to warn against such deviations. Doing so entails a reward greater than that of building a mosque because this preserves the Religion, protects the creed of the Muslims, and fulfills the obligation of ordering the lawful and forbidding the unlawful. This also conforms to the saying of the Truthful Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, related by Abu Dawud:

which means: <<The believer is the mirror of his fellow brother.>>

It is well known that our Master ^Umar used to draw the attention of Abu Bakr--who was the best of the Companions, to certain matters which he felt would be correct if done otherwise. Our master ^Umar recognized the right of one woman, who had a lower status then he, to correct his own statement when she reminded him of an ayah which showed he was not entitled to enforce a certain issue with regard to the matter of the women's marriage payment (mahr).

He said: which means: "^Umar was mistaken and the woman was correct." It was never said by Abu Bakr or ^Umar, "I am above being corrected, so do not weigh my sayings and doings in your minds." Neither told the people, "Follow me with your eyes, ears, and mouths shut." Neither claimed to be cognizant of all the details and secrets of the rules of the Religion, as some people claim nowadays. As a matter of fact, when Abu Bakr was asked about a verse of the Qur'an which he had not learned the meaning of, he said:

which means: "Which earth is going to carry me and which sky is going to cover me, if I say about the book of Allah that which I do not know." ^Umar used to say: which means: "We seek refuge with Allah from a dilemma which occurs when AbuHasan [Imam ^Aliyy] is not present," (that is, so I can seek his help in dealing with it.) The methodology of the Companions and those who came after them among the scholars and the waliyys, was to quit any mistakes once proven as such by the proofs of the Religion. They never said, "We are the people of the Batin (inner secrets) and you are the people of what is apparent." Shaykh ^Abdul-Qadir al-Jilaniyy did not say that. Imam Ahmad ar-Rifa^iyy did not say that; nor did Shah Naqshaband, nor his vicegerents, nor did any one among the True Sufis.

The one who says today, "I am the only one today who knows all the secrets of the Religion," is in fact claiming he has a knowledge which Abu Bakr did not claim for himself and which ^Umar did not claim for himself, and as such, is claiming to be more knowledgeable than either one of them!! The one who is blinded to such an extent of arrogance is one with whom you cannot reason. He is, as the poet said: which means: "If you are calling upon someone alive, he will hear; however, the one you are calling upon has no life."

It is a religious duty to warn against the one who promotes and spreads such misguidance--especially that it involves clearing the True Sufis from such filth. The enemies of Sufism--who are very active--find in the sayings and doings of such a person an easy avenue to slander the honorable route of True Sufism.

The route of the truly religious people is to humble themselves to the Rules of the Religion and the believers, and to leave out unfounded claims. They are not concerned with whether the people aggrandize them or praise them; rather, they are concerned about being accepted by Allah. They do not see themselves above receiving advice and are not too arrogant to accept it. They do not consider the follower who advises them as a 'loser' or a 'misguided person', rather they accept his advice if it conforms to the Religion. Should they commit a sinful matter, they leave it out and repent. Arrogance does not lead them to accept remaining sinful; to them, the rules of the Religion stand as the foundation--and not their own statements and sayings--contrary to the teachings of Sheikh al-Qubrusi.

The Honorable Master and Ocean of Merits, the Waliyy of Allah by consensus, Shaykh Ahmad ar-Rifa^iyy, may Allah raise his rank, said:

His statement means: "Submit to the special situations of the People of Sufism as long as they do not contradict the Rules of the Religion, for if they do, definitely cling to the Rules of the Religion."

The Bright Falcon and Tall, Vigorous Lion, our Master: ^Abdul-Qadir al-Jilaniyy, may Allah raise his rank, said in his book, Adab al-Murid:

which means: "If you see the shaykh do something wrong, bring it to his attention. If he quits it then he quits it, or else, abandon him and follow the Rules of the Religion."

After the sayings of these two great imams and their likes, among the lion-like men, those who do not exceed the boundaries Allah set forth, who aggrandize the prophets of Allah, there is no weight given to any person who opposes them and considers himself above the boundaries of the Religion. One must refrain from "brown-nosing" others who are engaged in such matters, for it does not help at all on the Day of Judgment. Ibn Hibban related the Messenger of Allah said:

which means: <<The one who does not respect the elderly among us, show mercy to the youngsters among us, or order the lawful and forbid the unlawful is not following our methodology.>>

The intelligent Muslim is the one who accuses himself of short performance and prepares himself for the life after death. Allah is the One Who guides to the valid deeds.

We ask Allah for safety and good ending. Amin.

كان الله ولا مكان وهو الآن على ما عليه كان

العقيدة

اعلم أخي المسلم أن أعلى الواجبات وأفضلها عند الله تعالى الإيمان بالله ورسوله قال رسول الله صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم : " أفضل الأعمال إيمان بالله ورسوله " رواه البخاري . والإيمان شرط لقبول الأعمال الصالحة ، فمن لم يؤمن بالله ورسوله فلا ثواب له أبداً في الآخرة قال الله تعالى : { مثل الذين كفروا بربهم أعمالهم كرماد اشتدت به الريح في يوم عاصف } سورة إبراهيم .

وعلم التوحيد له شرف على غيره من العلوم لكونه متعلقاً بأشرف المعلومات ، وشرف العلم بشرف المعلوم ، فلما كان علم التوحيد يفيد معرفة الله على ما يليق به ، ومعرفة رسوله على ما يليق به ، وتنزيه الله عما لا يجوز عليه ، وتبرئة الأنبياء عما لا يليق بهم ، كان افضل من علم الأحكام . قال تعالى : { فاعلم أنه لا إله إلاّ الله واستغفر لذنبك } سورة محمد . وقال الإمام الأعظم، الإمام أبو حنيفة في كتابه الفقه الأبسط : " إعلم أن الفقه في الدين أفضل من الفقه في الأحكام "

وعقيدتنا ما قرره أهل السنة والجماعة مثل المجتهد الكبير الامام السبكي في طبقات الشافعية: "وها نحن نذكر عقيدة أهل السنة فنقول: عقيدتنا أن الله قديم أزليٌّ، لا يُشْبِهُ شيئا ولا يشبهه شىء، ليس له جهة ولا مكان، ولا يجري عليه وقتٌ ولا زمان، ولا يقال له أين ولا حيث، يُرَى لا عن مقابلة ولا على مقابلة، كان ولا مكان، كوَّن المكان، ودبَّرَ الزمان، وهو الآن على ما عليه كان، هذا مذهب أهل السنة، وعقيدة مشايخ الطريق رضي الله عنهم " ا.هـ.

وكذلك ما قاله الشيخ سليم البشري المصري (1335 هـ) شيخ الجامع الأزهر في فرقان القرءان (مطبوع مع كتاب الأسماء والصفات للبيهقي) وذلك صفحة/ 74 ما نصه: "إعلم أيدك الله بتوفيقه وسلك بنا وبك سواء طريقه، أن مذهب الفرقة الناجية وما عليه أجمع السنيون أن الله تعالى منزه عن مشابهة الحوادث مخالف لها في جميع سمات الحدوث، ومن ذلك تنزهه عن الجهة والمكان كما دلت على ذلك البراهين القطعية"ا.هـ

وما يقوله الحافظ البيهقي رحمه الله: "وفي الجملة يجب أن يُعلم أن استواء الله سبحانه وتعالى ليس باستواء اعتدال عن اعوجاج، ولا استقرار في مكان، ولا مماسة لشيء من خلقه، لكنه مستو على عرشه كما أخبر بلا كيف بلا أين، وأن إتيانه ليس بإتيان من مكان إلى مكان، وأن مجيئه ليس بحركة، وأن نزوله ليس بنقلة، وأن نفسه ليس بجسم، وأن وجهه ليس بصورة، وأن يده ليست بجارحة، وأن عينه ليست بحدقة وإنما هذه أوصاف جاء بها التوقيف فقلنا بها ونفينا عنها التكييف، فقد قال تعالى: ليس كمثله شىء ، وقال: ولم يكن له كفواً أحد، وقال: هل تعلم له سمياً ، انتهى من كتابه الاعتقاد والهداية. والله أعلم.

A brief biogrophy about Shaykh ^Abdullah al-Harariyy

الشيخ عبد الله الهرري هو العالم الجليل، الإمام المحدث، التقي الزاهد، صاحب المواهب الجليلة، الشيخ أبو عبد الرحمن عبد الله بن محمد بن يوسف بن عبد الله بن جامع الهرري، نسبة إلى هرر وهي مدينة تقع في الناحية الداخلية الإفريقية يحدها من الشرق جمهورية الصومال، الشيبي نسبة إلى بني شيبة بطن من عبد الدار من قريش وهم حجبة الكعبة، العبدري نسبة إلى بني عبد الدار بطن من قصي بن كلاب. ولد في مدينة هرر حوالي سنة 1328هـ- 1910 ر.

Shaykh ^Abdullah al-Harariyy, whose lineage is from the same honorable Arab tribe as the Prophet, the tribe of Quraysh, with diligence and great devotion, peacefully and in sincerity, Shaykh ^Abdullah spreads the correct knowledge from Prophet Muhammad, the Prophet’s companions, and the generations of Muslims after them.

Shaykh ^Abdullah started acquiring the Religious knowledge at a very young age. He memorized the Qur’an by heart and with tartil (reading correctly with tajwid rules) when he was only seven years old. He is a renowned Scholar of Tawhid, Fiqh, and the Hadith.

He learned and mastered many fields of knowledge. These include: the Shafi^iyy Fiqh (Rules of the Religion according to the school of Imam ash-Shafi^iyy), its Usul (the Science of Inferring Rules and Judgments), Nahw (Arabic and Grammar), the Sciences of the Arabic language, Tafsir (Science of Explanation of the Qur’an), Tajwid (the proper recitation of the Qur’an), including the fourteen Qira’at (ways of reciting Qur’an), among others.

He is a Scholar of Hadith (Muhaddith) and of its sciences. He is also an authority in the Fiqh and Usul of the other three madhhabs: Malikiyy, Hanbaliyy, and Hanafiyy. Shaykh ^Abdullah narrates the hadith with continuous chains of narration linked all the way to Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam.

Among the many prominent narrators of his chains are: Ibn ^Abbas, al-Hasan al Basriyy, ash-Shafi^iyy, Abu Hanifah, Malik, Ahmad, at-Tabariyy, al-Ash^ariyy, al-Maturidiyy, al-Bukhariyy, Muslim, al-Bayhaqiyy, ath-Thawriyy, an-Nawawiyy, Ibn Hajar, at-Tahawiyy, al-Qadi ^Iyad, and al-Ghazaliyy.

Shaykh ^Abdullah’s primary goal is to spread the truth of Islam, by teaching the correct belief of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama^ah, and he works with tenacious determination to reach his goal.

His students have spread through more than forty (40) countries, across six (6) continents. He continues to support the Muslims in acquiring the knowledge and in fighting the deviant factions who attempt to spread misguidance in the name of Islam.

Shaykh ^Abdullah emphasizes the rich and moderate face of Islam—that of justice, truth, trustworthiness, knowledge, generosity, manners, excellence, and sound intellect.

A Message From Sheikh Abdullah

We are a group of Muslims who do not follow a new scheme or an idea that was innovated 50, 200, or 600 years ago. The scheme innovated 50 years ago is that of Sayyid Qutb and Taqiyyud-din an-Nabahaniyy; the one innovated 200 years ago is that of Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhab; and the one innovated 600 years ago is that of Ibn Taymiyah, from which Ibn Abdul-Wahhab took some of his ideas. To the contrary of their schemes, we are following the route on which millions of Muslims are: that of Ash^ariyyah and Shafi^iyyah. We are Ash^ariyyah in belief, which is the belief of hundreds of millions of Muslims, and Shafi^iyyah in the practical rules.

Imam Al-Ash^ariyy is the Imam of Ahlus-Sunnah who summarized the belief of the Sahabah and Tabi^in. He taught during the third Hijriyy century and died in the beginning of the fourth century. He did not bring except that which is substantiated with mental and traditional evidences. 1200 years have passed on the Madhhab of Ash-Shafi^iyy. We do not deem permissible the assassination of government officials because they rule by the secular law. We are clear of whoever practices this.

The issue of defining the blasphemous sayings is not a new madhhab that we carry. In this issue we follow the Imams of the four Madhhabs as the Hafidh Murtada Az-Zabidiyy said in explanation of Ihya’ ^Ulumid-Din what means: "The Imams of the four Madhhabs showed the sayings of blasphemy in their writings". We are not exploited by any state for any financial aid. Whoever ascribes to us other than this, Allah is his Judge.

Our belief about the Imams of the four Madhhabs, Imam Ash-Shafi^iyy, Imam Malik, Imam Abu Hanifah, and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and the rest of the recognized Imams is that all of them are Imams of guidance; and we follow them.

Conclusion to this article:

Sheikh Abdullah is a great scholar of Ahlussunnah

He is a Scholar of Hadith

He learned and mastered many fields of knowledge

He is a Hafith, Muhaddith and a great follower of Shafi^iy school

A Message: We are a group of Muslims who do not follow a new scheme or an idea that was innovated 50, 200, or 600 years ago

Allah Knows Best

'The Thirteen Attributes of Allah'

Every Accountable Person Must Know

Accountable: Pubescent, Sane and Heard the call of Islam

{لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَىْءٌ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ البَصِيرُ}

Ayah means: Nothing is similar to Allah and He is attributed with Hearing and Sight

Praise be to Allah, and may Allah raise the rank of Prophet Muhammad and his Al and Companions, and protect his nation from that which he fears for it. Thereafter:

Allah, the Exalted, said

{وَمَن لَّمْ يُؤْمِن بِاللهِ وَرَسُولِهِ فَإِنَّا أَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكَافِرِينَ سَعِيرًا}

which means: For those blasphemers who do not believe in Allah and His Messenger, We have prepared Hellfire .

It is obligatory to believe in Allah and to know what is permissible to attribute to Him, what is necessary to be of His attributes, and what is impossible to be of His attributes. Also, it is obligatory to believe in the Messenger and to know what is befitting for him, what is permissible for him and the other prophets, what is necessary to be of their attributes, and what is impossible to be among their attributes. It is obligatory to declare these beliefs by the tongue by uttering The Testification of Faith (Two Shahadahs):

أشهدُ أنْ لا إلهَ إلاَّ اللهُ وأشهدُ أنَّ محمّداً رسولُ الله

which means: I know, believe and profess no one is God except Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.

The one who does not believe in Allah and His Messenger is a blasphemer and shall enter Hell eternally. Before proceeding with this treatise let it be known that the judgments of the mind are three kinds:

· The intellectual necessity: This refers to what the mind does not conceive its non-existence, i.e., non-existence does not apply to its self. Allah is the One Whose Existence is necessary, because the mind does not accept His non-existence, i.e., non-existence does not apply to the Self of Allah.

· The intellectual impossibility: This refers to what the mind does not conceive its existence, i.e., that to which existence does not apply. The existence of a partner with Allah is an intellectual impossibility, because existence does not apply to it, i.e., the mind does not conceive its existence.

· The intellectual possibility: This refers to what the mind conceives its existence at one time and its non-existence at another time. This universe and its contents--among what we can see and what we cannot see--is an intellectual possibility. It is so because the mind conceives its existence after a state of non-existence. This is the state of the entire universe. For example, Allah made the human being exist after having been non-existent, and then this human being shall be annihilated (Annihilation of humans is by complete death, which is defined as the soul completely departing the body. The souls do not annihilate and some bodies do not decay in the soil.) This is why the human being's existence is among the intellectual possibilities.

Allah, ta^ala, said

{وَللهِ الْمَثَلُ الأَعْلَىَ}

which means: Allah has attributes that do not resemble the attributes of others .

It is obligatory to believe the attributes of Allah are confirmed to Him. He who negates them is called an atheist. Hence, the one who does not believe in the Existence of Allah, i.e., the one who negates Allah's attribute of Existence is called an atheist.

The attributes of Allah that are obligatory to believe in are confirmed to Him. They are not the Self of Allah nor other than the Self of Allah. Rather, we say they are attributes with which Allah is attributed and they are religiously and intellectually obligatory for Him. Imam an-Nasafiyy said: "His attributes are not Him nor other than Him."

The attributes of Allah that every pubescent and sane Muslim is obliged to know are called the attributes of the Self of Allah and Allah is not attributed with their opposites. They are thirteen attributes; the scholars established by consensus he who is ignorant of them is a committer of an enormous sin (fasiq).

These thirteen (13) attributes are: Existence (al-Wujud), Oneness (al-Wahdaniyyah), Eternity (al-Qidam), Everlastingness (al-Baqa'), Non-neediness of others (al-Qiyamu bin-Nafs), Non-resemblance to the creatures (al-mukhalafatu lil-hawadith), Power (al-Qudrah), Will (al-Iradah), Knowledge (al-^Ilm), Life (al-Hayah), Hearing (as-Sam^), Sight (al-Basar), and Speech (al-Kalam).

1- Existence (al-Wujud): It is obligatory to believe in the Existence of Allah. Allah said:

{أَفِي اللهِ شَكٌّ}

which means: [There is no doubt in the Existence of Allah.] Hence, it is obligatory to believe in the Existence of Allah. It is an eternal and everlasting attribute. Allah exists without a beginning, without an ending, and without a place.

2- Oneness (al-Wahdaniyyah): It is obligatory to believe Allah is One without a partner. Allah said:

{فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ لا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لِذَنبِكَ}

which means: [Know that no one is God except Allah.] Allah is One in His Self, Attributes, and Doings--hence Allah has no equal. So we say, for example: "Allah is the Creator and no one is a creator except Allah". Allah is One but not as in numbers, because numbers are created. Rather, He is One in that there is no partner with Him.

3- Eternity (al-Qidam): It is obligatory to believe Allah is Eternal, i.e., there is no beginning to His Existence. His attributes are also eternal. Nothing is eternal except Allah and His attributes.

4- Everlastingness (al-Baqa'): It is obligatory to believe Allah is everlasting i.e., His Existence does not end. His Existence is everlasting and His attributes are everlasting. There is nothing everlasting in itself except Allah, because annihilation does not apply to His Self. However, Paradise and Hell are everlasting because Allah willed their everlastingness. Hence, they are everlasting--not in their selves--but because of other than their selves. This is why they are among the intellectual possibilities, and they are part of this universe. Allah said:

{هُوَ الأَوَّلُ وَالآخِرُ }

which means: [Allah is the Eternal, without a beginning, and the Everlasting, without an ending.]

5- Non-neediness of others (al-Qiyamu bin-Nafs): Allah said:

{اللهُ الصَّمَدُ}

which means: [Allah is the Master Who is resorted to in one's needs.] Allah does not need anything. He does not need one to give Him existence because He exists without a beginning. Also, He does not need one to specify Him with Knowledge, instead of ignorance, or other than that among His Attributes, because His attributes exist without a beginning.

6- Non-Resemblance to the Creation (al-Mukhalafatu lil-hawadith): Allah does not resemble any of His creatures--neither in His Self nor in His Attributes nor in His Doings. Allah said:

{لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَىْءٌ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ البَصِيرُ}

which means: [Absolutely there is nothing like Him.] Imam Abu Hanifah said: "The Creator does not resemble His creatures."

7- Power (al-Qudrah): It is obligatory to believe Allah is attributed with Power, which is defined as an eternal and everlasting attribute of Allah related to giving existence to and annihilating what is intellectually possible. Allah said:

{إِنَّ اللهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ}

which means: [Allah has the Power over everything.] That is, Allah's Power relates to all things that are intellectually possible. Hence, the Power of Allah is not related to the intellectually necessary neither in creating nor annihilating, because annihilation does not apply to it in the first place. The power of Allah is not related to the intellectually impossible neither in creating nor annihilating because existence in the first place does not apply to that which is intellectually impossible. The fact that the power of Allah is not related to the intellectually necessary and the intellectually impossible is not powerlessness, but rather indicates the perfection of Allah. Also, this fact conforms to the judgment of the mind: the intellectually impossible does not turn into an intellectual possibility, and the intellectually necessary does not turn into an intellectual possibility. The Power of Allah is related to the normal impossibilities. For example, although the existence of a sea of mercury is an intellectual possibility, it does not occur, and the Power of Allah is related to it.

8- Will (al-‘Iradah): It is obligatory to believe Allah is attributed with Will. It is defined as an eternal and everlasting attribute by which Allah specifies the creatures who are intellectual possibilities with some attributes among what is possible for them. An example is specifying a green colored board with green instead of other possible colors. There is no difference in that regard between good and evil, blasphemy and belief, winning and losing, and other opposites among what is intellectually possible.

9- Knowledge (al-^Ilm): It is obligatory to believe Allah is attributed with Knowledge. This is an eternal and everlasting attribute of His Self. Allah knows eternally about His Self, attributes, and what He creates. Nothing is absent from His Knowledge.

10- Life (al-Hayah): It is obligatory to believe Allah is attributed with Life. Allah said:

{اللهُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ}

which means: [There is no God but Allah, and He is attributed with Life, and His existence does not end.] Life is an eternal and everlasting attribute of Allah. The Life of Allah is not like our life, because our life needs a combination of body and soul; however, the Life of Allah is His attribute.

11- Hearing (as-Sam^): It is obligatory to believe Allah is attributed with Hearing. This is an eternal and everlasting attribute of Allah with which Allah hears all things that are hearable. There is no difference between what is near to us and what is far from us because Allah is not in a place. He hears without an ear, without means, and without instruments. His hearing is not subject to weakening nor change because weakness and change are non-befitting to Allah. Allah said:

{وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ البَصِير}

which means: [He is the One attributed with Hearing and Sight.]

12- Sight (al-Basar): It is obligatory to believe Allah is attributed with Sight. This is an eternal and everlasting attribute of Allah with which He sees all things that are seeable, without an instrument and without means. He sees the things that are far away from us and those that are near to us without any difference because Allah is not in a place. His attribute of Sight does not change or develop, because the One whose Self is eternal does not develop or change. Allah's attributes are eternal and do not develop or change.

13- Speech (al-Kalam) : It is obligatory to believe Allah is attributed with Speech (Kalam). This is an eternal and everlasting attribute with which Allah orders, forbids, and informs. It is not a letter nor a sound nor a language. The Qur'an and the other revealed Books are expressions of the eternal Kalam of the Self of Allah. When we write the word "Allah" it is an expression of the Self of Allah. Likewise, the words and sentences of the revealed Books are expressions of the Kalam of Allah. The Qur'an is called the Kalam of Allah because it is not authored by Prophet Muhammad or Angel Jibril. The Qur'an is also used to mean the eternal Kalam of the Self of Allah. Allah said:

{وَكَلَّمَ اللهُ مُوسَى تَكْلِيمًا}

which means: [Allah spoke to Musa with His eternal Kalam] i.e., Allah created in Prophet Musa the ability to hear the Kalam of the Self of Allah, which is not a letter nor a sound.

and Allah knows best

http://alsunna.org

Question:

Assalamalaykum,

I know that English is not as rich as Arabic, but I read some translations for some of the books and they quote that Allah is above his creations or above everything. And reading from your site that Allah exists without a beginning, that means He existed before the places and directions, so did any of the salaf scholars Say that "Allah is above the Throne"? And how would you explain the "Aboveness" when it's said about Allah?

Answer:

Bismillah, praise be to Allah the creator of everything, and the one who is Eternal and exists without a place, we ask Allah to increase the rank of Prophet Muhammad and his kind Aal and Companions,

The belief of all the Muslims from the Salaf and Khalaf is that Allah exists without being in a place or direction, because He (the exalted and most high in status) existed before all the creations and is clear from change.

The Aboveness and Highness when attributed to Allah always refers to highness in status and cannot be taken literally as high in a place or position or direction, because Allah existed eternally before time and place and directions. And that's the meaning of "Allah Ta^ala Jalla Wa ^ala"; that is Allah the one who is most high in status and is clear from all imperfections.

وقالَ أهلُ الحقّ: ليس الشأنُ في عُلوّ الجهةِ بل الشأنُ في علوّ القدرِ، والفوقية في لغةِ العربِ تأتي على معنيينِ فوقية المكانِ والجهةِ وفوقية القدرِ قال الله تعالى إخبارًا عن فرعون: {وإنا فوقهم قاهرون} أي نحنُ فوقَهُم بالقوةِ والسيطرةِ لأنه لا يصحُّ أن يقالَ إن فرعونَ أرادَ بهذا أنه فوقَ رقابِ بني إسرائيلَ إلى جهةِ العلوّ إنما أرادَ أنهُم مقهورونَ لَهُ مغلوبونَ.

فقول الله تعالى اخباراً عن فرعون الكافر {أنا ربكم الأعلى} معناه علو القدر. وكذا قوله {وإنا فوقهم قاهرون} أي فوقية القوة والسيطرة وليس فوقية المكان. فلهذا نص العلماء أن الفوقية والعلو أذا أطلق على الله فالمراد منه علو قدر وفوقية قهر سبحانه وتعالى وليس علو مكان وجهة لأن الله كان قبل الخلق والمكان والجهات بلا مكان كما أجمع كل علماء أهل السنة على ذلك ونص على ذلك ابن حجر العسقلاني في شرحه على صحيح البخاري.

It's clear linguistically in al-Qur'an that "al-^uloo" and "al-Fawqiyah" (Highness and Aboveness) has two meanings: Above in place, and above in Status. And the proof that "Highness" and "Aboveness" means above in status what was mentioned in al-Qur'an about Pharaoh the blasphemer who said: "أنا ربكم الأعلى"Which means Pharoah said to his people [I'm your Lord the most High] and that clearly means highness of status. Also Allah said about Pharaoh: {وإنا فوقهم قاهرون} which means that Pharaoh said {And we are Above them Subduing them}. The Above here cannot mean that Pharaoh is literally above the necks of the children of Israel nor in the upper direction!! Rather it's clear that what's meant is that they are under his subjugation and control.

Scholarly Sayings Clearing Allah from Being in a Direction

Allah is the most high in status, He is attributed with all attributes of perfection and He is clear from any imperfection. He existed eternally before time and place as Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said "كان الله ولم يكن شىء غيره" Which means: "Allah existed eternally and there was nothing else." This hadith proves that Allah was alone in al-'azal, (the status of existence without a beginning,) i.e., before creating any of the creation. There was nothing with Him: no place, no space, no sky, no light, and no darkness.

It is determined in the rules of the Religion and the judgments of the sound mind that Allah, the Exalted, does not change. Hence, it is impossible that after having been existing without a place, He would become in a place, because this is a development, and the development is a sign of needing others, and the one who needs others is not God. Imam Abu Mansur al-Baghdadiyy related in his book, Al-Farqu Bayn al­Firaq, that Imam ^Aliyy, the fourth of the caliphs, may Allah reward his deeds, said which means: "Allah existed eternally and there was no place, and He now is as He was", i.e., without a place.

Imam al-Hafidh al-Bayhaqiyy said in his book, Al-Asma'u was-Sifat, on page 400: ".... What was mentioned towards the end of the hadith is an indication of denying Allah has a place and denying the slave is alike to Allah, wherever he was in proximity or remoteness. Allah, the Exalted, is adh­-Dhahir--hence, it is valid to know about Him by proofs. Allah is al-Batin--hence, it is invalid that He would be in a place."He also said: "Some of our companions used as a proof to refute the place to Allah the saying of the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam : 'You are adh-Dhahir and there is nothing above You, and You are al-Batin and there is nothing underneath You.' Therefore, if there is nothing above Him and nothing underneath Him, He is not in a place."

Imam Ahmad Ibn Salamah, Abu Ja^far at­Tahawiyy said in his book at-Tahawiyah: "Allah is supremely clear of all boundaries, extremes, sides, organs and instruments. The six directions do NOT contain Him--these are attributed to all created things."

Such is the saying of Imam Abu Ja^far who is among the heads of as-Salaf. He explicitly stated that Allah is clear of being contained by the six directions, that is he is confirming that Allah exists without a place. The six directions are above, below, in front of, behind, right, and left. So this is clear evidence that the Salaf cleared Allah from organs, bodily parts, place, direction, limits and al-Kayf (manners of beings). Imam at-Tahawiy also said: "And whoever attributes to Allah any of the manners of beings is considered a blasphemer". This is the creed of the true Salafis and not the wahhabis.

In his book, Ihya'u ^Ulum ad-Din, Imam al-Ghazaliyy said: "... places do not contain Allah, nor do the directions, earth, or heavens. He is attributed with an "istiwa'" over al-^arsh as He said in the Qur'an--with the meaning that He willed--and not as what people may delude. It is an istiwa' which is clear of touching, resting, holding, moving and containment. Al-^arsh does not carry Him, but rather al-^arsh and those that carry al-^arsh are all carried by Allah with His Power and are subjugated to Him. He is above al-^arsh and above the heavens and above everything--in status-- an aboveness that does not give Him proximity to al-^arsh or the heavens as it does not give Him farness from earth. He is higher in status than everything: higher in status than al-^arsh and the heavens, as He is higher in status than earth and the rest of the creation." Imam al-Ghazaliyy also said: " Allah, the Exalted, existed eternally and there was no place. He is not a body, jawhar (atom), or property, and He is not on a place or in a place."

Shaykh ^Abdul-Ghaniyy an-Nabulsiyy said: "He who believes that Allah filled the heavens and earth or that He is a body sitting above al-^arsh, is a kafir."

And Imam Ibn Hajar al-^Asqalaniy (who is also an Ash^ari hafidh) said in his explanation of Sahih al-Bukhary (Fath al-Bari):

"Attributing aboveness (Fawqiyah) to Allah is a matter of status, and the impossibility lies in it being physical." This means Allah exists without a place and is clear from being in a direction or place. And the "Fawqiyah" or aboveness when attributed to Allah it refers to abovness of status and greatness of Allah, the exalted. He is the creator Subhanahu Wa Ta^ala that does not need any of the creations in any way.

Ibn Hajar also said that this is the creed of Ahlus-Sunnah, the Salaf, Khalaf, Ash^aris and Maturidis, which is the creed of the majority of the Muslim nation that Allah exists without being in a place or a direction.

Allah knows best. http://alsunna.org/

alsunna.org

Alsunna.org is a site carrying the name "alsunna" which means the teachings and doings of Prophet Muhammad the last Prophet of time to humanity. Alsunna team works on promoting the teachings of Ahlus-Sunnah as asserted from the scholars of Islam and based on the way of the four schools of Ahlus-Sunnah.

Alsunna.org is frank and courageous in exposing extremist sects that misuse the name of Islam such as Wahhabis, Hizb al-ikhwan, Hizb at-Tahrir and Hululis. Islam is a pure religion clear from extremist and fanatic beliefs. It calls people to abide by the truth and follow the Qur'an and teachigns of the Prophet, His companions and the Salaf and Khalaf.

Fore more, see: alsunna.org